


Total Lunar Eclipse

by Ryuuto



Series: The Sun and the Moon [2]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 01:13:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5892403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuuto/pseuds/Ryuuto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Gods,' as the humans call them, don't normally fall ill. The only time they do is when they're in an area with a massive amount of corruption. For Mikleo, however, that's not always the case, as they find out in their childhood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Total Lunar Eclipse

When they were children, their caretaker, the Storm, told them that there was only one thing that could make the ‘gods’ sick: humanity’s corruption. It ate at their essence, trying to get to the heart of their purity and infect them. The Sun and the Moon were a little scared by that, but the Storm merely chuckled, patted their heads, and told them that it would take a great concentration of corruption. They had nothing to worry about.

That turned out to not be entirely true.

The day was crisp and chilly, a time when the green leaves started to turn gold, red, or brown. On some mornings, frost would dust the ground like sugar, glittering in the morning light. The villagers of Elysia bustled to life, bundling warmer garments to themselves as they all chatted excitedly about the upcoming Harvest Festival. Sorey and Mikleo were equally excited, as it would be the first festival they were allowed to participate in. However, on this day, there was a pronounced lack of the usual energy.

Mikleo didn’t feel quite right when he woke up that morning. He felt tired, like he’d spent the whole night exploring the nearby ruins with Sorey. His tiny body shivered as he got out of the bed he shared with his friend. Hugging his arms close to his frame, Mikleo tried to get ready for the day. He hoped that whatever was happening would pass by lunchtime so that he could play after their morning lessons. Yet, as the Moon shuffled around to get dressed, he frowned at how slow he was. He checked the calendar and was confused when he saw that tonight would be a full moon. That usually meant an energy spike that could rival Sorey’s. Why wasn’t that happening now?

He shook his head. Regardless of whatever it was, Mikleo wasn’t going to let it get to him. He moved back to the bed and shook his friend’s shoulder.

“Soreeeeey,” Mikleo said, his voice a bit scratchy. The Sun just muttered something and buried himself further under the covers. Huffing, the Moon tried again. “So _reeeeeeeey!_ Come on, you need to get up or Gramps is gonna be mad if we’re late.”

Sorey groaned, but that did the trick. He sat up in bed, chestnut hair in a total mess, and yawned hugely. Mikleo helped him get ready, trying to act normal and mostly succeeding. It wasn’t until they started the walk up the hill towards Gramps’ house that Sorey noticed something was wrong. It wasn’t a far trip, taking them roughly a minute at the most to get there. Yet, Mikleo lagged behind and it was far too easy for Sorey to outpace his friend. The Sun had to actively slow himself down to not leave him behind, and he frowned a little at that.

“Mikleo, is something wrong?” the child asked with concern. Mikleo was starting to shiver and he shook his head. He didn’t want to worry Sorey.

“Just a little tired,” he replied. The Moon then diverted the topic to something else, like what they were going to do after their lessons were over. Sorey wasn’t entirely convinced and Mikleo knew that, but at least his friend went along with it.

The pair was a little late, but Gramps didn’t scold them. The Storm conducted their lesson on etiquette as normal, but Mikleo was having a hard time concentrating. As more time went by, he felt himself worsening. It got to a point where about halfway through the lesson, Gramps stopped. The next thing Mikleo knew, there was a hand at his forehead, pushing his circlet up and away. The old man frowned down at the child.

“I think you need to rest, Mikleo,” Gramps said in a tone that would brook no argument. Mikleo felt himself deflate at those words, but he nodded. The Storm ruffled his hair gently and fixed his circlet. “Just focus on getting your strength back. Sorey, why don’t you get Ed and keep Mikleo company for the rest of the day?”

“Okay!” Sorey said. He gave the Moon one last worried look before scampering off to go find Ed.

Gramps took Mikleo’s hand and walked with the child back to their house.

 

Sorey wasn’t sure what was going on with his best friend. As the day progressed, instead of getting better, Mikleo seemed to be doing worse. He had a pretty bad fever and it was hard for him to stay awake. Ed was very calm, though, which helped Sorey immensely. If the adult spirit wasn’t too worried about it, then he didn’t need to be, either. Ed would have the Sun help by making sure the damp cloth they put across Mikleo’s forehead was fresh and cool, trying to break his fever.

It was when night fell that everything reached its peak.

All of a sudden, Mikleo moved to lie on his side and tried to curl into a ball. His face was constricted in pain and a soft whimper escaped him. Ed and Sorey were at his side in an instant, but the Sun kept his distance so that the spirit could figure out what was wrong.

“It hurts,” the Moon told them as tears started to run down his face. Ed picked up the small child and held him to his chest, petting his hair soothingly. He looked down at Sorey, who wasn’t sure what to do to help ease his friend’s pain.

“Sorey,” the spirit said in a gentle, calm tone, “Would you go get Gramps? He might be able to help.”

Sorey nodded furiously and then sprinted out of the house to Gramps’ place. He barged inside, running straight to their caretaker and tugged at his hand. He was trying really hard to be brave and strong for his friend’s sake, but it was really hard. All Sorey could do was hope that Gramps knew what to do to take away Mikleo’s pain.

“Gramps! Mikleo’s in pain and Ed told me to come get you!” he exclaimed. Gramps took one last look out of the window, frowning at what he saw, and then stood up. It was hard for Sorey to stand so patiently as the old man gathered the things he needed to make some medicine.

They didn’t waste any time once Gramps was done. Sorey sprinted ahead to tell Ed and Mikleo that he was on the way with medicine that could help. The Moon was now shaking uncontrollably in Ed’s arms. He had a tight grip on the spirit’s shirt, and Sorey could tell that he was trying not to sob. The Sun hovered close to his best friend, doing his best to hold back his own tears from how overwhelmingly worried he was.

The Storm strode inside the house. Ed looked immensely relieved, and the two of them spoke quietly on what had happened and where the pain was originating. Gramps set to work on concocting the medicine, and took Mikleo from Ed when he was done. He gave it to the child and in a few minutes the shaking decreased substantially. However, it was clear that Mikleo was still in pain. Gramps looked down at Sorey, hovering at his knee, and pat his head.

“Mikleo will be fine, but the medicine can’t take away all of his pain,” he told the Sun. “Ed and I will stay here tonight. You two try to get some sleep.”

He tucked the Moon into bed, and Sorey climbed in as well. Mikleo clung to his friend, sniffling a little, and the Sun simply held him like everyone else had. Eventually, the children dropped off into an uneasy sleep.

 

Zenrus looked out of the window and shook his head. He glanced over at Ed, waving him over to take a look outside. The spirit walked over, curiously surveying the night sky for whatever it was that had the old god so concerned. Eventually, he found it and he took in a sharp breath.

The full moon was awash in red as dark as blood.

“I’ve never seen the moon like that before,” Ed said quietly, trying not to disturb the children. Zenrus was silent for a moment before answering.

“This is something I haven’t seen in quite some time, now. The earth dwellers called it a ‘blood moon,’ an omen of misfortune and disaster,” the Storm explained pensively. “Our last Moon always suffered terrible pain and sickness when a blood moon rose. She described it as feeling as if the corruption of the entire world was able to reach the moon, but it only lasted for one night.”

The two of them were quiet as Zenrus let the information sink in for the young man. Eventually, Ed voiced his question.

“How often will this occur for Mikleo?”

“It’s hard to say.” Zenrus sighed, looking at the child in question with sympathy. “At the very least, she experienced it twice a year, and the most was five. She told me that even the amount of pain would vary depending on how red the moon was.”

“Is there nothing we can do for him?”

“I’m afraid the only thing we can do is give him this medicine, but even that will fail after a time.”

Ed sighed, conveying just how unfair he thought it was for Mikleo. Zenrus could only silently agree.

 

The next morning, Mikleo was back to his usual self, much to everyone’s relief. Sorey was so happy that he glowed the whole day, which was a little embarrassing for both of them. He didn’t really care about it, though, as he dragged Mikleo to explore the ruins after their lessons. Their laughter eased the villagers of Elysia’s worries, and it felt as though life was back on track.

**Author's Note:**

> A lunar eclipse is when the earth's shadow passes over the moon. In a total lunar eclipse, which is more uncommon, the moon turns red and is colloquially called a "blood moon." Lunar eclipses only occur on the night of a full moon, and can happen two to five times a year. Interestingly enough, most cultures thought that blood moons occurred when an animal bit or ate the moon (temporarily, in the latter case). In ancient China, however, the blood moon was thought to be an omen of famine or disaster. Ancient Greece was ahead of its time in that they used the lunar eclipses as proof that the earth was round and not flat.
> 
> The more you know!


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